"But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope."
-Barack Obama

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Testing Week

You all know how I feel about standardized testing, so I probably don't have to repeat my utter disdain and loathing for individuals in that particular part of the educational-industrial complex. Or what I plan to do with them once the revolution comes.

But if you notice your friendly neighborhood teachers and students with that burned-out, exhausted and shell-shocked look on their face, it is because they're going through the annual dance of "pass or never-amount-to-anything/get fired for lack of trackable 'progress'" our system subjects them to.

[S]tudents at schools like Clark experience unnecessary, stifling pressure to pass the tests because they realize that their 13 years of school is wasted and future opportunities are limited if they can’t pass the test....In addition to the pressure, the GEE also guts the curriculum for core classes and perpetuates low standards—especially in 11th and 12th grade courses.

Both worthwhile reads. I'd check the other local edublogs for more news as the week goes by..